A New Class of Nonlinear Light Trapping for Photovoltaic Systems

摘要

Light trapping is a useful way of enhancing photovoltaic (PV) conversion - particularly in thin-film PVs. To-date, fluorescence has been the only nonlinear process utilized. Herein, we introduce a new class of nonlinear light trapping which utilizes the saturation of the PV itself, within a mode-coupled architecture. Paradigm shifting to a new class of traps in which the light travels along - rather than through - a PN junction, we open the door to the possibility of importing energy collected elsewhere and mode coupling it directly into the PN junction. Coupling to the saturable absorber enables the nonlinear clamping of mode amplitudes so that the imported energy can be uniformly distributed over distances as long as we wish. Significantly this enables the design of utility scale, highly concentrated photovoltaic systems.